February 2005 Archives

Saturday I went out with Mi Mama and her best friend BeBe. We had a lovely dinner and then went see Hitch. It was very funny and cute, if flawed. Not the best executed film in the world, but entertaining.

Saturday   and I really enjoyed our evening in Annapolis. It was Flounder's first visit to the town and we are planning to go back in the Spring. Dinner at the Chart House was terrific. Sadly we had to skip dessert in order to get to the show on time. All the Great Books has immensely funny. Any show that includes a dancing house (Trojan of course!), Achilles sending Santa Clause into battle and Childish sneezing pranks has my vote.

Sunday was spent at the Storybook Home and I am happy to say Storybook Mother looked very good all things considered. She was also eating normally which was not the case two days before. While there I learned to play penuckle. I am not very good at playing cards. I held my own...for a little while anyway. We headed home a little late, with the on coming snow on our minds.

It has only just started to flurry here, but the chance of 4-7" falling though out the day is making me a little nervous about the trip home tonight. If Feds close early, I am out of here!

Quote of the Day:
No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.

Goal Check!
Walk yesterday? No
Exercise this morning? No
Eat after 8? No
In Bed by 10? Yes

Yesterday the office closed down a little early, and I was pleased to have a head start on the stew I was going to make. Since I couldn't visit Storybook Mom post-op today with I sent up some beef stew love in my stead. I am happy to say that the surgery was very successful and SbM is resting at home today. I feel very releaved. Go Science!

I am on my own tonight for the first time in awhile and I think I will take this opportunity to rent movies Flounder wouldn't want to see. Perhaps a chick-flick or three. That will be fun.

Saturday night Flounder and I are going to Annapolis to see the Reduced Shakespeare Company perform All the Graet Books (abridged). This is the last of Flounder's Birthday presents. We also have dinner reservations at the Chart House, which I think he will enjoy.

Goal Check!
Walk yesterday? No
Exercise this morning? No
Eat after 8? No
In Bed by 10? Yes

Quote of the Day:
"ALL THE GREAT BOOKS (abridged), the RSC's latest rapid-fire masterpiece, is a laugh fest. They are masters at miniaturizing, prompting delirious laughter." Emily Cary - The Virginia Journal

Firstly to all who are inclined, please say a prayer that Storybook Mom's surgery today is totally routine and complete success!  Thanks.

I decided I that I would start posting my goal check list online again. I figure having to type it out each day might remind me of what I have committed to do. Here goes:

Goal Check!
Walk yesterday? Yes
Exercise this morning? No
Eat after 8? No
In Bed by 10? No

Now, the reason I was not in bed by 10 was because I really wanted to watch Project Runway. That show has totally my guilty pleasure over the last few weeks. And I am thrilled to say that Jay won! I have not been so sucked into a reality show since the original season of The Amazing Race. Good stuff, Good times and the right guy won. Gotta love it.

It's snowing like made here today. Of course today was the day I resolved to start "taking more pride in my appearance" at work. Of course my slightly more coiffed look was all by flattened by the wet snow sitting on my beautifully blown out hair. Alas. At least I tried, and my makeup wasn't ruined.

Quote for the Day:

Sometimes good habits are just as hard to start as bad habits are to break. Remember a couple weeks ago when I had a good run of exercising in the morning, and then I stopped writing about it? Yeah well, I didn't just stop writing about it, I stopped doing it too. But why? Honestly, I am not sure why. All I can come up with is boredom. Waking up early to do the same stretch yoga tape is a bit dull.

Sigh.

On the bad-habits-are-hard-to-break-front however,   and I have almost totally eradicated our habit of eating breakfast out on week days. No more deli begals for us. This is a very good thing for both the waistline and the pocket book. So a little success!

I am looking for some small lifestyle changes that will add up to large results. I have been kicking around the idea of spending a few hours cooking on the weekend, so that I will have to do less cooking during the week. Coming home at night and needing to whip up a meal sometimes feels like the very last thing I want to do. I think I will also have a better chance of eating more whole foods if I pre-cook. I am hoping I will be less reliant on converience foods in order to get dinner on the table. I am also considering a ban on eating after 8:00 pm. There have been lots of studies that found you are more likely to be overweight if you eat late at night. The theory for me is, if I am too full to eat dessert directly after my meal, than I shouldn't eat dessert.

Sound good? Make sense?

I am rather excited about the Spring cleaning are going to do today. And boy do I have a list for us. I am not really one who enjoys cleaning, however the idea of having a home clean down to every nook and crany pleases me very much.

Speaking of lists, the new list of diet changes we are implementing around here. You have seen the list alreadt posted here, but today it is going on the refridgerator.

Yesterday Flouder and I had a a lovely lunch with Storybook Mom. She looked lovely in a new hair cut. Two hours made (as she likes to day) a "nice visit".

Tomorrow is a day off. I am looking forward to doing some cooking for the week and finishing up whatever doesn't done today.

Quote of the Day:
We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake . . . by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us in our soundest sleep. I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor.
-Henry David Thoreau

I have a nice long chat with my doctor yesterday. My urine screen was normal. The only thing off about my blood work was my cholesteral being up. "Up" in this case meaning 160 point instead of the 150 points she would like to see. No big whoop. The ultrasound should that all my abdominal organs looked perfectly normal, and there were no stones in sight. So what does this mean? The doctor and I are assuming that I did pass a kidney stone, which wasn't seen in the tests. I have been given some dietary suggestions (less salt, more water) that might keep my body from creating more stones in the future. But kidney stones are one of those fun medical problems that science hasn't mastered yet. In general I am very healthy, but as we all know, I should lose some weight. If I do have another attack in the future, they can do a catscan which more give us some proof of this stone theory.

No news yet from my doctor. There have been developments on another persons health front however. My future mother in-law (also known as Storybook Mother around here) is having her breast cancer surgery pushed back. Her hospital screwed up, the left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing and so on. This means not only does she have to sit around and when OH WHEN! will she get the treatment she needs, but she won't need   and I to be in PA this weekend. We will probably go up for lunch and have a visit, but we will save the long visit for when she does have the surgery and needs some post-op support.

What does the mean for Flounder and I this weekend? Spring Cleaning! There are lots of little neglected corners of our home which will be neglected no more when this weekend is over.

Mi Mama is coming over Friday night and having dinner with us, which I expect will be delightful!

Quote of the Day:
One cannot fix one's eyes on the commonest natural production without finding food for a rambling fancy.

While I wait for my current health issues to be resolved I have been mulling over some health/weight related issues and I came to a few decisions.

• I going cold turkey on fast food. I don't need it. As everyone who has head of Super Size Me knows, it does crazy sh*t to your body. If I am all that desperate for greasy food, I can fry my own potatoes at home.


• I am cutting as much hydrogenated fats out of my diet as I can. This means reading every label and checking every box for ingredients before buying. Natural Peanut butter, not Jif.


• I am going to eat more whole foods instead of convenience foods. This means a handful of almonds as a snack instead of an All Bran Bar. I am not swearing off all snack food. I will eat potato chips again in the future, but not nearly as many of them (not that I eat that many now). Thank God I love fruit.

Expect more changes in the future. One step at a time. These are pretty big ones for me. In general these changes are more about over-all health than my waistline. Though my waistline should be hurt either.

I didn't go to work this Valentine's Day. Last night I had an amazingly painful "attack". The most painful experience of my life. took me to the ER where we spent a few hours. In the end it seemed as though I MIGHT have passed a kidney stone, though the CT scan that was taken showed no stones. SO....if I did pass a kidney stone, then it was the only one in the house.

They then turned to my gallbladder. I had eaten too recently to get a good look at it. They sent me home, in much less pain and prescriptions in hand. I spent the day on the couch (managing the pain in my side with Tylenol) waiting for my doctor to call me with the results of the testing she did last Friday. A restful day, but now a great way to spend V-day.

When I did finally talk to her at 4:45 this afternoon she didn't have much to say. I think she was just taking in all of the information. My urine testing wasn't back yet. My blood test looked ok, except my cholesterol was up (though I don't know by how much) and the ultrasound of the gallbladder came back normal. My doctor is supposed to call me tomorrow with the urine results.

At the moment though, I am just really frustrated. I want answers and I want to stop hurting. If I just knew what was wrong, regardless of what the answer is I will have a little peace of mind.

Well it looks like when my doctor said "tomorrow" she really meant Monday. That's ok I guess. I am not really worried about this wacky gallbladder pain. I am eager to get to the bottom of it. The "very low-fat diet" I am supposed to be following has been challenging. That is not to say that I was handed "a diet", just told eat ever little fat. This requires one to totally change the way they eat...or at least the way I eat. Especially when I am trying to strip hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils out of me diet. LOTS of the low-fat foods I have been eating have them, which is pretty frustrating. I guess that concept recently encouraged by government.

Today I am taking Gma H to have our nails done. This evening we are celebrating 's birthday at Mi Mama's place.

Quote of the Day:
Without a struggle, there can be no progress.
-Frederick Douglas

I feel like I have lived a whole day already! I have a killer headache and spent the first half of my day at the doctors office. First to consult with my primary doctor (and hand over some blood) and then to have an ultrasound done of my abdomen. hopefully I will hear somthing Monday if not tomorrow. There seems to be a yet unconfirmed possibility that my gallbladder might need to come out. But let's not put the cart before the horse. I am really glad it is Friday, but I really wish the day were over!

You know a story is going to be bad when it starts with vomit, serious abdominal pain and a call to the doctor at 1:20 am. I didn't need to go to the ER and I am feeling better this morning. That's the good news. The bad news is our working assumption this today is that I was having gallbladder trouble. Yep, that could mean stones. What am I 50? No, but I am extremely overweight (obese actually) and while I have never been one to have high cholesteral, I have a long history of eating poorly. There is another strike against me. Mi Mama had her gallbladder removed when she was 21. So I have an appointment tomorrow morning, where I hope we will get to the bottom of this.

Most importantly however, today it der_flounder's birthday, so….

Happy Birthday Flounder!

• February Thaw (even if it will probably get cold again before Winter is out)


• Having a Mission


• Gel pens and great writing paper


• The golden color of a butternut squash


• A fresh haircut

I weighed in Saturday morning and discovered I lost 3.4 pounds. This takes we to 6 pounds down from my high weight I started WW with and makes me 6 pounds away from my lowest point on WW. I am very pleased. I didn't eat very well this weekend, but we did walk yesterday and I started today with Yoga and a good breakfast.

 and I decided to combine our mobile phone plans into a Family plan. The best part of getting a new phone plans is getting new phones! Flounder's birthday is Thursday and   gave him a wonderful new pda/phone as a very generous birthday gift. This thing is a technological marvel. I also ordered a new phone, the Seimens CT66. Looking at the Cingular site, I was very lucky to get ti for free, since they have now uped the price. I will of course be donating my old phone to charity.

I didn't watch the Superbowl last night because I honestly couldn't have cared less about it. Instread I purruesd some books about gardening I picked up from the library earlier in the day. Once the weather gets a little warmer I am looking forward to digging up that planting beds in the backyard. I have my heart set on having a vegetable garden this summer. I have NO IDEA what I am doing, but that's what the books are for. I have also started looking at paint samples for the kitchen. Not sure when we might take on that project, but I like planning anyway. To be honest, I would be better off putting the finishing touches on the other projects I have already started. In fact I will now pledge to finish all started projects before doing anything to the kitchen. There see, I am capable of change!

Quote of the Day:
Action is eloquence.

William Shakespeare

You probably realize I don't love my work. Generally my job is not especially taxing.  Lately however, my work life has been a bit maddening. Not because the actual work I do has changed much, but the organization is in such flux that the atmosphere is rather stressful. Up until now I had resolved to stick with this place until after the wedding is over and paid for. Once that's over with we will have much more monetary flexibility and I could work at a gas station if that's what I wanted. In the meantime, I'm not miserable or anything -- I am just not fulfilled. You may have heard this from me before. My biggest problem is that I don't know what I would find fulfilling. At least if I had a dream (far fetched or not) I would have something to shoot for. What I do have is lots of support and encouragement, which I am very grateful for. I don't have anyone in my life telling me "oh, you could never do that!". So now the great unanswered question:

What do I want out of life? 

I did something crazy yesterday. I ate fish. I have never really liked seafood at all. Tuna salad was the only fish that willingly crossed my lips. Even shellfish and shrmip left me cold. Since I started eating meat again (after a 6 year run as a vegetarian) I have been attempting to broaden my horizons. So yesterday I had the Garlic Peanut Tilapia and it was DELISH! I enjoyed it totally. I had tried tilapia in the past (just a bite or so) and found it inoffensive. This was a different experience. So three cheers for trying something new. Excellent restaurant choice Signe!

Goal Check!
Walk last night? No
Exercise this morning? Yes
Weights this morning? No
In bed by 10:00 pm? Yes

I am looking forward to my lunch with Signe and DK today. I am not sure if we are celebrating Groundhogs Day, or just getting together for the heck of it, but I am excited about making a bold menu choice at Ten Penh. I believe the cuisine is Asian Fusion, or something like it. Perhaps I will go crazy and order seafood.

I should have done yoga this morning but I didn't. Maybe my sore muscles would feel better now if I had given them a good stretch when I woke up. Oh well. I went to bed late last night and as you can see not getting enought sleep has a negative trickly-down effect.  

Goal Check!
Walk last night? Yes
Exercise this morning? No
Weights this morning? No
In bed by 10:00 pm? No

Yesterday brought a few small triumphs. I started the day pushing a cart of donuts, bagels and fruit around the office offering breakfast to the staff. It was all apart of welcoming those people brought over from another DC office (which was closed with the merger). I was speading goodwill. Well...goodwill and transfats. Anyway, walking the cart around was a good chance to meet new folks and get some exercise. The best part however was that the only thing I took off the cart was an orange. Then in the evening,   and I went to to P.F. Changs for dinner (which I love) then later while walking the mall we got frozen custard. After 4 licks I decided I had eaten all I wanted and through the rest away. I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with myself yesterday.

Goal Check!
Walk last night? Yes
Exercise this morning? Yes
Weights this morning? Yes
In bed by 10:00 pm? Yes